Off the beaten track

Posted by ESC on April 24, 2004

In Reply to: Off the beaten track posted by Lorraine Lockwood on April 24, 2004

: does anyone know where this originated from ??

The way I've heard it -- "off the beaten trail" or "off of the beaten trail." I haven't been able to find it in any of its forms in my references. I googled, thinking it might be part of a poem, but I couldn't find anything. It refers to a trail through the woods. Do you want to stay on the trail that has been beaten down by the footsteps or many? Or do you want to leave the trail and go "off" to some place new?